Bathroom and kitchen mould cleaning

Mould cleaning for bathroom ceilings, grout and silicone and kitchen walls in UK homes, including resealing, typical costs and prevention advice.

In short: Bathroom and kitchen mould cleaning removes mould from ceilings, tile grout, silicone sealant and walls in the wettest rooms of the home, with stained sealant cut out and replaced. It suits anyone with mould around a bath, shower, sink or cooker. In the UK a bathroom mould clean including resealing typically costs around £250 to £450.

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Bathrooms and kitchens produce more moisture than any other room. A single shower can put a large amount of water vapour into the air, and cooking without a lid or extraction adds more. When that moisture lands on a cold ceiling, an external wall or grout lines that never fully dry, mould follows. The usual signs are black spotting on the ceiling above the shower, dark grout lines in the corners of the tiling, and black staining inside silicone around the bath, shower tray or worktop.

Silicone is the part that most often needs replacing rather than cleaning, because mould grows into the sealant and the staining sits below the surface. A thorough job cleans and treats the ceiling, walls and grout, cuts out the affected sealant, cleans and dries the joint and reseals it with a sanitary silicone containing a fungicide. The extractor fan is checked at the same time, because a weak or blocked fan is behind a large share of recurring bathroom mould and no amount of cleaning will keep a poorly ventilated room clear.

What is included

Fungicidal cleaning of bathroom or kitchen ceilings and walls
Deep cleaning and treatment of mouldy grout lines
Cutting out stained or failed silicone around baths, showers, basins and worktops
Cleaning, drying and resealing joints with fungicidal sanitary silicone
Cleaning mould from extractor fan grilles, window frames and behind fixtures where reachable
A check that the extractor fan runs, clears steam and has a run-on where fitted
Advice on regrouting or anti-mould painting where cleaning will not restore the finish

Who it is for

Black mould on the bathroom ceiling above the bath or shower
Silicone around the bath, shower tray or kitchen worktop that has turned black
Dark grout lines that no longer come clean with household products
Bathrooms without a window, or with a weak or noisy extractor fan
Getting a bathroom or kitchen ready for sale or a new tenancy

How much does it cost?

As a guide, a bathroom mould clean including resealing typically costs around £250 to £450, and resealing a bath or shower on its own usually around £80 to £150. Kitchen mould cleaning is usually priced in the same range as a single room. See our full cost guide.

How it works

Check the room

We look at the ceiling, grout, sealant and extractor fan, and note whether the mould is from steam, a leaking seal or a cold surface.

Clean and treat

Ceilings, walls and grout are cleaned with a fungicidal treatment and left to work before rinsing, without abrasive damage to tiles or fittings.

Reseal

Stained silicone is cut out, the joint is cleaned and fully dried, and new fungicidal sealant is applied neatly. Baths are best filled with water while sealing so the joint does not split later.

Cure and aftercare

You are told how long to leave the new sealant before using the shower, usually around 24 hours, and how to keep the room dry from then on.

Bathroom and kitchen mould cleaning: FAQs

Can mouldy silicone be cleaned instead of replaced?

Light surface mould on silicone sometimes cleans off, but once the black staining is inside the sealant it will not come out and the growth usually returns quickly. Replacing it is normally the better value. The old sealant is cut out completely, the joint is cleaned and dried, and a fungicidal sanitary silicone is applied. A properly prepared joint lasts far longer than new silicone run over the top of old.

Why does my bathroom ceiling keep going mouldy?

Usually because steam is not being removed fast enough and the ceiling is the coldest surface, particularly under a cold loft or roof. Common causes are an undersized or blocked extractor fan, a fan without a run-on timer, missing loft insulation above the bathroom, and doors kept shut with no airflow. Approved Document F guidance for new work is an intermittent extract rate of 15 litres per second in a bathroom.

Can mould in grout be fixed without retiling?

In most cases, yes. Grout can be cleaned and treated, and where it is stained deep or crumbling it can be raked out and replaced with fresh grout, often an epoxy or mould-resistant type in the wettest areas. Retiling is only needed where tiles are loose, cracked or where water has been getting behind them and damaging the wall.

What causes mould in a kitchen?

Cooking and boiling kettles put a lot of moisture into the air, and kitchens often have cold external walls and corners behind units where air does not move. Running a cooker hood that vents outside, using lids on pans, opening a window or trickle vent and keeping a small gap behind freestanding appliances all help. A recirculating cooker hood filters grease but does not remove moisture.